John Cena vs. Austin Theory Set for U.S. Title Match at WWE WrestleMania 39

WWE legend John Cena is set to make his return to the Grandest Stage of Them All.

On this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, Cena accepted a challenge to face Austin Theory for the United States Championship at WrestleMania 39, which is set for April 1-2 in Los Angeles.

Last month, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that a match between Cena and Theory was “locked in” for WWE’s biggest event. In recent weeks, Theory began calling out Cena in promos after it was announced that the future Hall of Famer would be appearing on Monday Night Raw this week in his hometown of Boston.

Cena is undoubtedly one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time, though he only makes sporadic appearances at this stage in his career after successfully transitioning to an acting career. Prior to his appearance with WWE this week, he was in Melbourne filming the upcoming Ricky Stanicky movie in which he’s one of the lead actors.

The 45-year-old has not appeared at a WrestleMania since WrestleMania 36 in 2020 when he took on Bray Wyatt in a cinematic-style Firefly Fun House match. Cena returning to face Theory is a major vote of confidence in the young champion.

Theory has been pegged as one of WWE’s top heels over the past year. The 25-year-old is a two-time United States Champion and a former Money in the Bank winner. He most recently defended his title in the Elimination Chamber at the February premium live event.

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